Guilt
by Dawnie'B
Summary: {After Ch 365). Jellal visits Erza as she rests in the infirmary. He takes the blame for what happened to her, Erza reassures him it wasn't his fault.


Erza moaned softly as she woke up, the daze lasted for a couple seconds before her eyes shot open with realization. Her eyes traced the area; she immediately recognized it as the infirmary. Mirajane was plopped on her right, resting and covered with bandages. Laxus was beside her, still recovering from his fight with a Tartarus member. She flipped off her blanket and made a weak attempt at getting up, her body aching with every movement.

She wasn't sure if it was fatigue or some other kind of effect from magic. Erza remembered glimpses of her capture; she recalled excruciating pain and being stripped down. She limped around and made an attempt to reequip, though to her dismay her body wasn't strong enough to do so.

"Erza-nee!" Wendy exclaimed. The sky dragonslayer mage frantically ran, tears of relief filling her eyes.

"Wendy," Erza said softly, she glanced back at Mirajane, "What happened?" she asked.

"Erza!" Lucy said in relief as she jogged up to them.

Wendy and Lucy exchanged looks, "You and Mira-san were captured by Tartarus," Lucy explained.

"They tried to make you two demons," Wendy said, pressing her two index fingers together as she bit her lip.

The revelation triggered a part of her time as a captive. She recalled being placed in some sort of tube with liquid. Serpent-like animals tied her down as someone bitterly laughed in the background. There were other voices that soon chimed in. A commotion started due to their arrival and someone freed her.

Her eyes amplified, she sat down as a result of the pain. As her head tilted down she pressed her forehead. The pain felt through the attempt at taking away her humanity ran like a current through her veins. She hadn't felt such pain, a pain that brought her back to her days before magic.

"Erza, you should rest," advised Lucy.

"Wendy," Erza brought her hand down and let out a small, but appreciative smile, "Thank you for healing me." She wasn't entirely unconscious during the ordeal, though some parts were still foggy.

"Yo-You're welcome," Wendy said, slightly flustered. "Lucy-san, Natsu-nii, and Jellal-san did all the wor—"

"Jellal!" Erza suddenly interrupted as she remembered what the Tartarus demon told her. "Is he okay?"

Lucy recognized her concern, "He's fine, he actually left right before you woke up," she said as she gazed out the window. "He told us about FACE and his role,"

He was the last member needed to activate FACE. His death would mean access to the dangerous weapon the now debunk Magic Council hid. She remembered being asked for his location, she offered her honest answer though the demon didn't believe her.

"Tartarus evacuated, for now at least," Lucy said, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Erza!" A gruff voice called out.

Erza glanced from the corner of her eye as Jellal, followed by Meredy, came running in.

"Jellal…" she said under her breath.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," Erza answered firmly.

Meredy winked towards Lucy and Wendy's direction. The two girls immediately left, trailing behind Meredy.

Jellal sat beside her on the bed, brushing a strand of her scarlet hair away from her face.

"Jellal…" she repeated. The two couldn't find the right words to say to each other.

"Do you need anything?" he asked casually, breaking the ice.

"I'm fine," she said. She knew him well enough to know when he was feeling guilty or lying. "If you assume what occurred today is because of you, it wasn't," she assured softly.

"It's actually been four days," Jellal informed. Erza's eyes widened; she assumed it had only been a couple hours. "I'm sorry," he finally said, applying pressure to his lip.

"It's not your fault," she repeated.

He breathed from his nose, tilting his head forward, "After the Tower of Heaven incident I swore I'd never hurt you again,"

"You kept that promise," Erza argued back.

"I didn't."

Erza shook her head, "She assumed I was lying. I really had no idea where you were."

"I know," Jellal said, "But she could have believed you if it wasn't for me staying in your life."

Erza didn't have the strength to slap some sense into him. The entire conversation was reminiscent of when they first met after seven years apart. "Jellal," she muttered, "you really think it would be best if you just left?"

Jellal didn't answer.

"What happened was the fault of Tartarus. Look at Laxus," she then pointed to Laxus's sleeping form, "As a guild we have a responsibility to protect the citizens of Magnolia, and to a greater extent, the rest of Fiore. Laxus was protecting a former council member and a town when he was attacked, it would have occurred regardless of whether you were in our lives or not," Erza explained.

"You have a point," he said in defeat.

"Don't apologize for something you had no control over. Considering their apparent tolerance with hurting the innocents; it would have occurred to me regardless. Even if I did tell them, they would've continued on with the torture," Erza said, reflecting back at her capture.

A silent pause fell over the couple. Erza slid her hand over Jellal's, interlocking her fingers with his.

He lifted up his head, stunned by her sudden movement, "Erza…" he began, "I've apologized for what I've done to Simon. Yet I don't think I've let you know how horrible I felt hurting you back then," he admitted.

"It's in the past," Erza said solemnly.

"It wasn't just what occurred seven years ago."

Erza quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" she asked.

"For you, what happened was probably a year ago. In addition, you've lived years remembering that threat I made years ago," Jellal explained.

The vision of a ten eleven year old Jellal smirking as he pulled her close popped into Erza's mind. She remembered his words, his threat that she would have some freedom before he would retrieve her and sacrifice her for Zeref's sake. She hadn't forgotten the event, though she has forgiven him.

It's why the armor made her feel secure. The Tower of Heaven was a significant part of her development, it's inerasable.

"Jellal, I've long forgiven you for what happened," Erza said. "I'm just thankful to have_ you_ back."

The space between them began to obliterate as both Erza and Jellal leaned their heads forward, touching as Jellal caressed her cheek, "Tartarus is like no enemy you or I have faced before," he whispered.

"I know," Erza said, pursing her lip. "We'll defeat them. FACE won't be unsealed."

They knew it wasn't the last run-in with Tartarus they'll encounter. Jellal's life was what they wanted most, and they would go through any means to get it. She knew he can't just publicly walk around. It was all a continuation of his fugitive days; with greater consequences burdened if he were to die.

As Erza's train of thought ran, Jellal's hand glided under her chin. Gently, he tilted her head up and leaned in. Erza placed her hand on the left side of his face, deepening the kiss. After a while they eventually pulled away with some reluctance.

"No other innocent person will die," Jellal swore as Erza rested her head on his shoulder.

"Including you?" Erza asked, squeezing his hand tighter.

"Yes," Jellal said as he gave her one last kiss on the forehead.

* * *

I've never written Jerza, much less Fairy Tail fanfiction before. Hopefully this was somewhat satisfying to fellow Jerza fans. It's one of my favorite ships and I love both Jellal and Erza. Here's to hoping they eventually get their "happy ending." (Mashima let's not kill Jellal off).

Reviews appreciated.

-Aryanna


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